About a month or so ago, my girlfriend & I were walking our puppy on Driggs Avenue after visiting the McGolrick Dog Run. It’s pretty normal to see other people walking their dogs and to allow them to sniff each other and so forth. On this occasion however, a young woman with her small poodle was walking by and even though our dog was a safe distance and on a leash, this woman quickly stood between her and her dog and said very forcibly, “Stay away from my dog!” I laughed a little because I was kind of shocked by her random behavior and she immediately started yelling at us about how wrong it was for us not to rescue a shelter dog. We were just kind of startled and walked away, basically wondering WTF? A few days later, I was walking our dog and this girl and her dog were coming in the other direction and she just started yelling at me to “keep my fucking ugly ass dog away from her dog”. I never allowed my dog to come within touching distance of her dog and so I kind of giggled out of frustration and a bit of amusement that this stranger wants to pick a fight with me every time we pass. I’m pretty sure that she lives on the same block as me. So a week passes and I see her again and she makes these very awkward angry, silent mouth gestures at me and I couldn’t help saying, “Lady, you’re a nut”.

And then this morning, at 7am in McGolrick Park we are once again passing each other with our dogs and even though my dog is at least three feet away from her dog, she’s starts yelling to “Get your fucking dog away from my dog…” and the same rant about not rescuing a shelter dog. I told her to “Fuck off” and she picked up her dogs diarrhea with aplastic bag and tried to throw it at my dog. He got hit with the bag, but fortunately not with the shit. There were other dog owners nearby that seemed pretty dumbfounded by the whole interaction and demanded that she clean up the shit that was now all over the park’s walk way. She also said that she has filed a complaint with 311 every time that my dog has gotten too close to her dog and these complaints will add up to my dog getting put down. I’m not laughing anymore. This woman is making my blood boil. I continued on our walk and after about 15 minutes, she walks towards me and says, “Have a great day!” I respond with, “If you ever throw shit at me or my dog again, I will not just stand by and let it happen”. She says, “Oh, that’s great, you’re threatening me” and so she calls 911. I already had a headache this morning and I wasn’t about to stand around and let her feel any more satisfied with her wackjob behavior so I quickly took my dog home and went to work.

Here I am at work wondering what kind of false accusations this woman is making to the police. Should I file a police report for her throwing dog shit at me? Should I ignore it all? This is certainly one of the strangest things to happen to me in NYC over the past 10+ years. I’m asking you for advice because you know the neighborhood well and I just don’t know how to proceed.

Comments

4 Comments on From The New York Shitty Inbox: Scat Attack At McGolrick Park?

Rebecca11222 on
Fri, 13th Apr 2012 11:42 am

Okay.

NY has a bite law (Google it). That is the only way a dog can be put down. And one bite isn’t enough. In order to prove her dog has been bitten, this person must have vet records.

The only way to get a restraining order is to be threatened with an object. She has to have assaulted in order for the police to do something.

She has done so.

-Bring this to the attention of the McGorlick Park & Dog Run Association IMMEDIATELY
-See if anyone knows her name, and try to find out where she lives.
-Make a diary of all incidents, then file a complaint at the 94th Precinct. Provide names of witnesses, if possible
-When describing her, use words like aggressive, erratic, unstable
-Make the 94th Precinct a contact on your cell. If you run into her again, call them ASAP. Tell them you have filled out a complaint, and she continues to harass you and that you fear for the safety of you, your dog, and others. Again, she is behaving aggressively, erratically, and seems mentally unstable. Because you have a record of a full complaint (not just a 311 call),
-Take a different route when walking your dog

BurkeJW on
Fri, 13th Apr 2012 1:22 pm

Ten bucks says this is the “animal rights” woman who used to hang out at the Bedford L. Probably best to get a bit of pre-emptive documentation that you’ve spoken to the police about it.

BurkeJW on
Fri, 13th Apr 2012 1:24 pm

Oops. I missed the part where the woman is “young.” Not the “animal rights” woman after all.

Having to deal with people like that is a price we pay for living in a civilized society with rules of conduct. Giving her a good thorough Sonny-vs.-Carlo style beating probably would have immense therapeutic value. Once she recovered she’d be a different person and would never act that way again. But this is not an option in our society, so there isn’t much which can legally be done to stop her.

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